Rizhsky suburban railway line

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Rizhsky Suburban Railway — a simple guide

What it is
The Rizhsky line is one of Moscow’s eleven suburban railways. It runs from Moscow Rizhsky station in the northwest to Shakhovskaya, covering about 155 km with 44 stations. The line serves Moscow and nearby towns in Moscow Oblast, including Krasnogorsk, Dedovsk, Istra, Volokolamsk, and Shakhovskaya. Some trains start or end at Streshnevo or Moscow Rizhsky, while others come from the Kursk line. The tracks between Moscow Rizhsky and Nakhabino are also used by Line D2 of the Moscow Central Diameters.

Operations and gauges
- Owner: Russian Railways
- Operator: Central Suburban Passenger Company (CSPC) and Russian Railways
- Track gauge: 1,520 mm (Russian gauge)
- Electrification: 3 kV DC overhead
- Two tracks exist from Moscow to Volokolamsk; west of Volokolamsk there is one track

Route highlights
The line connects Moscow with towns such as Krasnogorsk, Dedovsk, Istra, Volokolamsk, and Shakhovskaya. It also serves settlements like Nakhabino, Novoiyerusalimskaya, and Rumyantsevo. Some trains terminate at Streshnevo or Moscow Rizhsky; others run from the Kursk line.

History in brief
- Construction began in 1897; passenger service Moscow–Volokolamsk started on June 30, 1901.
- Vindavsky station (now Moscow Rizhsky) opened September 11, 1901.
- The line started as a single track; a second track was built in the 1950s.
- Electrification milestones: Moscow–Nakhabino (1945), Guchkovo/Dedovsk (1954), Novoiyerusalimskaya (1955); Volokolamsk electrified (1959).
- In 1959, the line became part of Moscow Railway.
- Pavlovskaya Sloboda branch (Nakhabino–Pavlovskaya Sloboda) was electrified in 1964 and closed in 1996.
- Leningradskaya station was closed in 2018; a new interchange with the Moscow Central Circle opened in 2019.
- In 2019, Moscow Central Diameters started operation; several stations were renamed to match nearby metro names (Tushinskaya, Streshnevo, Rizhskaya).
- Pokrovskoye-Streshnevo closed in 2021 and Shchukinskaya opened.

Notes on terms
In Russia, a railway stop is called a station if it is a terminus or handles freight; otherwise it is a platform.

Key fact
From Moscow Rizhsky to Shakhovskaya the line covers about 155 km.